On October 17, former Chinese professional basketball player Yi Jianlian was exposed to a scandal involving soliciting prostitution, sparking a frenzy of discussions online. The widely-known basketball star and his team have not yet responded to the allegations, while the Dongguan municipal authorities have stated that Yi Jianlian is still serving as a member of the Dongguan Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). As of now, several commercial brands endorsed by Yi Jianlian have removed his endorsement content.
According to reports from multiple media outlets such as Dingduan News and Dahe Daily, on October 17, a netizen revealed that the former Chinese professional basketball player Yi Jianlian was suspected of soliciting prostitution, exposing naked photos and identification documents, which caught extensive attention.
Screenshots circulating on social media showed someone claiming that the well-known basketball player Yi Jianlian paid $1,500 to take what appeared to be nude photos and identification documents of Yi Jianlian himself, and captioned Yi Jianlian’s social media account instructing to search on Baidu for more information.
It is worth noting that the address and birthdate information on the leaked identification card of Yi Jianlian in the photos corresponds with a public administrative judgment issued by the Beijing Higher People’s Court in 2012.
However, according to reports from “Dongqiudi,” a Weibo user exposed what seemed to be chat logs of Yi Jianlian soliciting prostitution, including what appeared to be an identification card picture of Yi Jianlian. Nonetheless, many netizens claimed that the image was manipulated, as the original ID card in the picture was from a different source.
Through image recognition tools and related searches, it was found that the ID card pictured in the image surfaced on multiple public networks and belonged to a Nigerian man. However, it remains unclear whether this individual exists or if the details on the ID card are authentic.
Furthermore, it was discovered by netizens that the user “Li Jinjin” on a social media platform was suspected of leaking Yi Jianlian’s information. By noon on the 17th, the account under this username could no longer be found or had been banned.
As of now, Yi Jianlian and his team have yet to issue a formal response to the allegations.
Public records indicate that Yi Jianlian is a well-known basketball star in China, born in Guangdong in 1987. He has played for various teams in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), NBA, including the Guangdong Southern Tigers, Milwaukee Bucks, and New Jersey Nets. He announced his retirement from professional basketball on August 29, 2023, through his personal social media.
According to a report by Dafeng News, the list of members of the 14th Dongguan Municipal Committee of the CPPCC published on the Dongguan Municipal Committee’s official website on August 1, 2022, confirms Yi Jianlian as a representative of the “sports sector.” Regarding the authenticity of the circulated information on Yi Jianlian soliciting prostitution, a staff member of the Dongguan Municipal CPPCC responded that Yi Jianlian is a current member of the Dongguan Municipal CPPCC, acknowledging the information circulating online but stating that its veracity is still under investigation, with official information to be released in due course.
According to data from Qichacha, Yi Jianlian is a shareholder in 15 affiliated companies. Additionally, examining Yi Jianlian’s social media profiles reveals that he endorses products in various industries such as sports equipment, health foods, skincare products, and financial technology. Following the scandal involving soliciting prostitution, brands like Quark APP, Meilu, TCL, and Junlebao disabled viewing of promotional content reposted by Yi Jianlian on Weibo for users.
A report by Southern Metropolis Daily mentions that a journalist from Nandu Bay Finance contacted Yi Jianlian through public channels on Weibo for an interview but had not received a response as of the time of writing. Several brands have already removed endorsement content featuring Yi Jianlian. A check on the afternoon of the 17th revealed that official Weibo accounts of various brands like Xufuji, Deppon Express, OPPO, Quark APP, SAIC General Motors, Junlebao, TCL, Baixiang Foods, and HYPTEC had no content related to Yi Jianlian.
Of particular note, China Life is a major sponsor of the CBA basketball league. In March of this year, Yi Jianlian attended the “Invest in Your Love, Live Up to Your Trust” series product service release event by China Life. However, a search on October 17 showed that official Weibo accounts no longer featured content related to Yi Jianlian.
Data from the Tianyancha App indicates that Yi Jianlian is affiliated with a total of 16 companies, with 13 still active and 3 being deregistered. Active companies include Jiaxing Danqing Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership), Xinhuo Camp Cultural Education (Shenzhen) Group Co., Ltd., Shanghai One-Ball Fame Information Technology Co., Ltd., Chengdu Qusui Technology Co., Ltd., operating not only in sports and cultural sectors but also in commerce, technology, and investment domains. Moreover, Yi Jianlian holds executive positions in four active or opened companies.